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House Lyra
House Lyra House Lyra is one of the seven Minor Houses of the Empire. From their homeworld of Orpheus on the edge of the Imperial Core they have spread throughout the sector. It is a rare noble house that does not have a Lyran trained political adviser in their retinue, and rare still to find a city without Lyran theaters, galleries, symposiums, mausoleums, and brothels. From the beginning the Lyrans have developed a strong culture of aesthetic development, philosophical debate, and reverence for death and the dead. Operating with surprising efficiency despite their seemingly disorganized hierarchy, they show a great deal of unity for a largely dispersed people. #A E S T H E T I C Fashion We use Kohl makeup made from human ash. We use some parts of the dead to be turned into ash for our makeup. The two ways we use the makeup are on our arms or face. If you wear a mask, you cannot wear sleeves, symbolizing that while you hide your emotions, you show how there is nothing up your sleeves. If your sleeves are covered, then your face must be exposed, symbolizing that you are showing your emotion, but that you cannot know what's up their sleeves. If you wear a mask, your arms use the Kohl makeup, and conversely, if your arms are covered, your face has Kohl makeup. This practice came into being from Lyrans desiring to remember their loved ones from the macabre practice of wearing ones loved ones on their skins. There are many styles of House Lyra, as we are a house of art and culture. One of the popular styles of clothing is Glam Goth. (David Bowie in black). Glam Goth came from a subset of Lyrans’ desire to celebrate life more fully to grant death even greater meaning. This subculture took the Lyrans’ already rather flamboyant styles and took them to a further extreme. Another popular style is to wear high collar black robes with white accents. Lyrans consider this form of dress to emphasize the serenity and peace of death through its minimalist beauty. On the House Lyra homeworld, breathing masks are required because of freak weather. These masks have evolved to being incorporated in fashion, and are often decorated to be aesthetically pleasing. Art Troupes A collection of actors/dramatists/artists from the Lyra house who serve as entertainers for high ranking officials in other houses. Mirroring the Renaissance style of actors being hired by nobles to be in their court. On top of the entertainment the artists/actors/etc frequently act as information gathering agents or spies, gathering intrigue and social knowledge in order to manipulate the Noble houses from the inside out. Psionic Arts House Lyra has developed several unique telepathic arts. During The Silence they could not treat MES but could partially train psychics. This lead to a system of special breeding of telepaths and very strict controls on their use. Even so during that dark time they developed new abilties unique to the House. Memory Painting Some Lyran telepaths possess the ability to paint memories of people. These paintings can be commissioned at any point in life. In particular, we paint memories people have when they are near death, or dying. It’s all based around the beauty of our last memories before we face the unknown of death. Psychomentric Imprinting Another technique Lyrans have developed is psionically imprinting objects with energy so that when touched, they evoke a certain feeling, or emotion. This can be used as an art form, such as statues we allow people to touch, or for more subtle uses, like setting up a pen to invoke a specific emotion to sway someone when they are in the middle of writing something. Pre-Birth Psionic Inception Before the birth of houses members, some Lyrans use a psionic technique to implant subliminal messaging and begin education. The specific information and ideas vary to some degree. This technique is used to keep the House's secrets safe. The inception encourages loyalty, and discretion, but is not outright mind control. Secrets of House Lyra Psionic Idols There are psionically made Idols by groups of Psionics working behind the scenes. Similar to Japan with their artificial idols. Imagine holographic AI’s but through Psionic means. The psionic idols are people, but they have no body, and can only exist while sustained through psionic power. This can be through the great psionic battery of the dead we possess, or through living psionics sustaining them. They are used to manipulate culture as popular figures and cultural icons. The idols being psionic in nature is public knowledge under our houses banor of the arts, but the complexity and knowhow of how they are maintained and created are not disclosed. Like Japanese pop artists that have songs made by producers that they sell as their own. They use their popularity to influence the public. Officially their species is called Hekate, and their title is Hekate. Hekate are the public faces of popular Lyran performance. While they are treated as fellow cousins by Lyran nobles, those of other houses are to see them as superstars to be fawned over and admired. Hekate are generally meant to be “available” to the public, but untouchable. House Lyra keeps their psionic construct nature a secret from the public, especially after the recent Gats campaign. Hekate appear as human and are therefore treated as such while in public. They are one of House Lyra’s greatest tools, and their use comes at a significant risk. All for the sake of art though, right? The schedule of a Hekate is often left to a Meret manager. Their appearances and performance schedule takes priority over all social engagements. All Hekate are raised to understand and follow this, even if they may not totally accept it. Personal time is therefore limited and highly valued. A Meret must accompany the Hekate for protection and sustenance while away from Orpheus during these times, but on the home world there is much more freedom. Every Hekate treats their personal time in their own way, from practice and meditation to antics that may result in a very stern lecture from other house members. The connection between a Hekate and those sustaining them is one of the most dangerous and important matters for those involved. A Hekate can only last for so long without assistance and running out of power will result in the loss of the Hekate. The House must then decide whether to commit to the sad demise or reform the being, relying on re-education via strict teachings and notes kept by any Meret assigned to the Hekate. It has been found that the connection also has a few odd side effects. For instance, a Hekate’s emotional state can be felt strongly, filling one with sometimes addictive sensory experiences. The connected human must also take care as the flow of does go two ways. If a Hekate is suddenly seen acting inebriated, their primary tether partner is certainly the source of the affliction. To assist with saving energy, especially while off-planet, there is a technique used by Hekate and Meret to place a Hekate within a safe “focus” item. Hekate enter a peaceful state of pure sleep while stored away. However, should the item be destroyed, then the Hekate has died. Psionic Batteries Since we are in charge of funerals, we are also in charge of the dead. Secretly we use their brains, and link them together to form a massive psionic battery. These psionic batteries are used to power our idols, psionic networks, and other endeavours Shadow Council Perhaps the greatest secret is the existence of the houses government, the shadow council. The Shadow Council has no name. It is sometimes whispered of as “The Ptah”, “The Distillate”, or “The Collective Will”. But truly no one knows what it is. Throughout the life of a noble member of House Lyra will, maybe never, maybe often, receive orders from the Shadow Council. The agents of the mysterious ruling body of House Lyra will sometimes appear with orders, sometimes the council will approach nobles directly in their dreams. Those who refuse to carry out their duties suffer the “Curse of Apep” a combination of extreme permanent writer’s block and an inability to focus. The length and severity of the curse depends on how much they disobeyed the will of the council. It is the secret presence of the council as the guiding hand within House Lyra that keeps them efficient and united. As House Lyra guides the empire, so are they guided quietly from within. Breeding program In House Lyra you are required to participate in the secret breeding program. You can have a person for love, and a person for breeding, but they are not always the same person. Titles Other Languages M’jii: (Pronounced Em-Jee) Emoji language inspired by hieroglyphics. Emojis are coded with information that decodes out into our common language. Hard to pick up the language if you are not taught it. The language is solely for internal communication, not between us and other factions. Historic Records Notable Members of House Lyra Category:Factions Category:Houses Minor Category:Noble Houses